Has it really been over a year??!!

Oh my! I knew it had been a while since I'd been here, but I didn't realize that I hadn't blogged in over a year. Wowsers.  Well, I'm back. Or I'm going to try to be. Here's the scoop on my latest project.

For starters, let's get one thing straight. I am so NOT a seamstress. I am terrible at sewing. TERRIBLE.  That does not stop me from trying my hand at the odd sewing project now and again, however. And when I spotted these babies on Pintrest, I thought they'd be a great (easy) project I could whip up for my kids. So on a whim when we were at good old Wal-Mart, I swung by the fabric section (yes, our Wal-Mart still has a fabric department) and let the kids each pick out a print from the clearance table. I figured 3 yards would be good for each of them. Then I came home and read the directions. Note to self: read the directions before buying the materials!
 

I had it in my head that I'd use the crease already in the fabric, sew one end and the open side closed, shove some poly-fil into the thing till it was about a fourth of the way stuffed, sew a straight (ahem) line, shove in some more poly-fil, sew another seam and so on until I had four fluffy sections like the picture. Yeah. Then I read how the original blogger did it. She had all these fancy measurements and cuts and seams and so forth. Suddenly this project did not seem so simple. Plus, hers is actually 4 pillowcases in a row, with pillows that you take in and out so you can wash the cover without cramming the whole thing in your washer. Upon further reflection, I realized that the whole pillow case concept was much better than just stuffing it and sewing it up. This thing is meant for the floor, after all, and though we don't have pets, it will still get dirty.  

So now I have a dilemma. I've decided to make it a big pillow case thingy rather than using the poly-fil, and I'm not sure I have enough fabric. However, I do not want to go buy more fabric. (did I mention that in addition to being a terrible seamstress, I'm also cheap??) But I figure I can still make this work. So, I'm going to tell you step by step what I did. 

If you want a cool, professional looking project, then you might want to use these instructions rather than mine. Just bear in mind that this blogger asks that you do not sell her pattern or make cases from her pattern to sell as it is her creation, and she is a professional seamstress who earns her living by this work. I do not blame her one bit, and shame on you if you use her pattern for personal profit. I, on the other hand, am not a professional seamstress and offer my blessing for you to use my instructions however you choose. Hopefully you can make sense of this, and it will provide an easier (and cheaper) way to make them for your own kids/family/friends. If my kids love these as much as I think they will, I will be making more for the junior cousins at Christmas.

• Iron the entire piece of fabric flat. Mine was 40-something wide; 60" would have been a better choice. 3 yards is the bare minimum for 4 pillows. Next time I'll probably get 3 1/3 yards.
• Iron down about 1/2 inch of each of the long sides (this will be your hemmed opening for putting in/taking out the pillows.
• Sew down these edges. 
• Lay the whole piece out flat, wrong side down, and fold in each edge so that the hemmed edges overlap at least 1/2 inch (I would overlap them more if I had wider fabric).
• Pin together the short ends (the top and bottom end of the mattress), making sure the hemmed edges stay overlapped at least 1/2 inch. Sew both ends closed.
• Turn case right side out. Measure entire length. (You might want to iron it flat first.)
• Divide length measurement by 4; mine came out to around 18".
• Measure from one end to whatever your measurement was (so I measured down 18"), use a straight edge to draw a line from one edge to the other and pin along this line. This will be your first seam.
• Measure another length, draw a line, and pin twice more. You should have made 3 lines, giving you 4 sections. You may not need to draw a line; I cannot sew a straight line to save my life, nor can I pin in a straight line, so this was essential for me!
• Sew down each of these final 3 seams and then put in your pillows. 

Since my fabric wasn't really wide enough for my pillows, the opening gaps on the back and you can see the pillow.  You can see a lot of the pillow.  My 3 and 5 year olds didn't give this one thought, but if I were making these to give to someone else, I would certainly want to either buy wider fabric or buy quite a bit more than I did and make separate front and back sections and sew them together like this gal did.  Alternatively, you could buy smaller pillows, but then the whole thing isn't as wide and therefore not as comfortable to lay on.

I bought the cheapest pillows I could find ($2.50 at a local dollar store).  Combine that with the fact that I got both lengths of fabric off the clearance table, and it cost me under $30 to make both projects. Granted, next time it will cost a little more b/c I will buy a little more fabric and probably fabric that is wider, but that's still not a lot of money for a fun gift!

Really Long Time....

So, it's been a really long time since I was here.  I have done some creative things in that time, but have hardly kept up with doing something each day.  Every day is a new day, though, and as with all other things in life, I will take this one day at a time.  

I did engage in creativity today.  I made "poofs."  Last spring I made these poofy headbands with the waffle headbands.  Recently, a lady requested that I fix the same poof only on a clip rather than the headband.  I had fun figuring out exactly how to do it.  It actually was pretty easy, and since this lady has bought tons of stuff from me, I gave her one of them for free.  Now to make some more that maybe other people will buy!  (I would post a picture, but I've already delivered them.)

I suppose I am off to do a little more crafting.  Have you done something you enjoy today?

I just thought...

Apparently I just thought I was back with a vengeance because clearly I have not been doing much crafting the past few days.  I have done *some*.  Mainly working on the korker bows, but not nearly enough.  (Picture still to come.)  How about you?  Have you been crafty while I've been slacking?

Back with a Vengeance!

OK, I know I'm really far behind.  I won't bore you with my list of excuses, er reasons, that I haven't been  here.  I have been crafting, though not everyday.  At the moment, it's more of the same: making more bottle cap necklaces.  I have also been busily updating my newly redesigned web site, www.colliercreations.com, so go check that out.  You can admire my beautiful DD while you're there.  I have also started making a new bow - korker bows or corkscrew bows.  Look for a picture of those on here soon and for them to be added to the web site catalog.  Have you been crafty while I've been gone?  I'd love to hear about it!

Day 14 - I think

Ok, you shouldn't have let me off so easily for missing a day.  Look here, I've missed 3 days now!  And today's craftiness isn't particularly impressive.  My order of 100 bottle caps came in the mail Saturday (yesterday), so this evening I spent a few (30) minutes putting letter stickers on a dozen or so of the circles I punched Wednesday and fixing the bottle caps.  When they dry I will have to do the necklace part.  Hoping for a more creative week!

Day 10

I guess today was another cheater day.  I finished 4 bottle cap necklaces (as in putting the necklace together and putting the bottle cap on it).  I also acquired a 1 inch punch, so after ordering 100 bottle caps online, I sat and punched probably 100 1 inch circles.  My wrist is killing me!  I'm proving how many I punched by posting a picture of the pile as well as one of the completed necklaces.  I also put together the signs that I laid out last night.  The picture makes them look harder to read than they really are, but you can get the idea.  So, signs completed and 4 necklaces completed, but both were started earlier.  I suppose I don't have to actually complete a new project start to finish each day.  Besides, if you add together the individual items I have completed since starting this challenge, it is over 10, so I think I'm good.  Happy Crafting!

Day 9 & a Make-Up

 I was a total slacker yesterday and missed a day of my challenge for the first time.  Ugh.  So soon!  How aggravating.  To make up for it I have worked on 2 totally different projects today.  There are no pictures b/c I did not actually complete either....still not exactly batting 1000.  First I stitched up 4 smocked dresses.  They are the "instant dress" stuff that you can buy at fabric stores.  The dresses are stitched together, but need to be hemmed and have little straps put over the shoulders.

The second project I worked on was laying out in CDS lettering for 2 Sunday School classes.  I made new signs for our remodeled preschool class and for the younger elementary class, but had not yet done the upper elementary or nursery.  Those are now laid out and just need to be cut and glued together.  I used the Mickey font.  When I finish these projects, I will post pictures, but I do not see myself doing any further crafting tonight....Happy Crafting!